Podcast News

Why I hate ABSOLUTES… from PodNews:A company called “Podcastier” is sending mail to podcast owners claiming to be a “big fan” of your podcast and to offer to edit your podcasts for half price. They’re just scraping from your RSS feed, and we’d recommend you avoid any company that lazily spams you in this way.

Speaking of which, how should a podcaster format their podcast episodes now that Google is making audio search results more relevant to more people who may not listen to podcasts? I have some tips especially if you have advertising in your podcast. (Time to re-think and re-define the “Pre-roll” ad)

And some great questions to consider from Nick Quah re: Google and Spotify moves:Assuming Spotify and Google does indeed each accrue meaningful podcast distribution power, should we read their podcast activities as competitive with, or additive to, the podcast world Apple has fostered? In other words: is this necessarily a zero-sum game?

Is it possible to sketch a theory of the ecosystem that sees “Big Podcasting” as a separate from “Open Podcasting/Everything Else,” the latter as perhaps mediated by Apple? Is it possible for the two things to exist in parallel?

With regards to Apple, there’s an obvious question, and there’s a less obvious question. The former: how will Apple respond? The latter: should they respond? This should bring us to a more root question: what is the game that Apple plays, and what is the best version of that game specifically within the podcast context?

If Spotify and Google do end up commandeering the bulk of new podcast listenership, what’s the move for third-party podcast apps? What new opportunities are they best positioned to pursue? Should they double down on niche communities?

From James Cridland’s weekly newsletter (not Podnews):I’ve spent the week without my MacBook Pro, which after just 26 months began to suffer from the tell-tale signs of an expanding battery. I’m getting a bit worried, given I’m doing two presentations next week - one to Rogers on Wednesday, and one at Canadian Music Week on Thursday (and no, they won’t be the same). I sure hope it’ll be ready to collect when Apple told me it will.Instead of my AUD$2699 MacBook Pro, I’ve been using my AUD$640 Chromebook for everything over the past week (using the same keyboard and big screen in the office as I always do). It’s been very interesting how capable the machine really is, and in many ways I rather prefer it. If you use Chromebooks, ChromeOSv74, which came out last week, has audio playback from Linux apps, so you can use Audacity or the much more preferable Reaper to edit audio if you want. I’ve been using my USB microphone and Auphonic Edit, instead.Joel, as the resident expert on podcast production on different devices, would love to hear your thoughts.

Something to note here: Spotify has half a million more daily active sessions than Pandora. iHeartRadio is 3rd and Radio.com, Cumulus, NPR appear tied for last on this chart and if you combine the bottom 4 they don’t even account for half of Pandora. Once you pick an app...you stay on that app. https://rainnews.com/webcast-listening-january-2019/

What are you Currently Listening to?

Jay’s Pick - NFL Draft time - if you aren’t listening to my podcast, Next Fan Up, I highly recommend Scout’s Honor w/Dave Te’ Thomas (and Paul Crane). Dave has been writing the NFL Draft Prospect review book for the NFL for decades. He’s tied into a number of teams, including the world champion Patriots. He knows a thing or two about the NFL Draft. https://www.spreaker.com/show/scouts-honor

Quarter 1 is ending and earnings reports are in. Cumulus (Westwood One, CBS): Cumulus’ overall digital business – what’s called C-Suite – grew by more than 60% in 2018. Starting off at 46% growth in Q1 of 2018, digital revenue in Q4 grew by 76% according, to CEO Mary Berner, In 2016, according to Berner, Cumulus’ podcasting division generated $100,000 in revenue. In 2018 she says podcasting generated $12.5 million in profitable podcasting revenue.Libsyn: Libsyn says its podcasting revenue grew by 30%, and in total the company earned double the amount of revenue year on year: earning over US $22m. The company has $11m in the bank.Difference - Westwood One is running mostly re-purposed audio and according to my “money tree”, they are right on point with the numbers I could find that are public. Libsyn is mostly a podcast hosting company...their revenue is coming from people paying them to host their podcast. Which has bigger upside???

Also from the Libsyn statement (not sure why the news outlets skipped this part): In 2019, we plan to expand our Podcast hosting product to target Spanish speaking podcast producers as well as launch, what we believe to be, a revolutionary podcast advertising platform built specifically for the podcast industry.”

You can subscribe to the show in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or anywhere you listen to podcasts.If you need help with your show, both Jay and Joel are available for consultation, just email us your needs.

You can subscribe to the show in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or anywhere you listen to podcasts.If you need help with your show, both Jay and Joel are available for consultation, just email us your needs.

And Podnews adds: Spotify was launched in India on February 26th. Android has a 90% market share in that country.

Dave Jackson’s visit to On Air FestBecause of the focus on stories, almost every podcast I heard about uses seasons. I also heard phrases about “funding.” Such as “I’m working on season three, but we are still waiting on funding.” Speaking of funding….

Jenna Weiss-Berman from Pineapple Street media shared how she can make an entire season of a podcast using 5% of the budget for a TV pilot. According to my first Google search you can make a 30-minute TV pilot for $2 million. If that is accurate you are looking at $100,000 to create a season of episodes. When I looked at shows by Pineapple Street, I saw seasons with 6-12 episodes, which means they are charging between $8,300 and $16,000 per episode. https://podcastbusinessjournal.com/1648-2/

From HotPod: Lisa Chao is now a senior editor on The Daily, Leaving Gimlet where she was the host of the Startup podcast

Scripps, who own Triton Digital and Stitcher, have seen revenue grow by 41% in Q4 2018, according to new results from the company. Revenue for Stitcher, which includes Midroll, was up 64% to $16.7 million. And yet Lex Friedman their former Chief Business Development Officer and Korri Kolesa their former CRO left for Art19.

You can subscribe to the show in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or anywhere you listen to podcasts.If you need help with your show, both Jay and Joel are available for consultation, just email us your needs.

Jay and Joel hold an emergency podcast to discuss the titanic news that broke this morning. Spotify has aquired BOTH Gimlet Media AND Anchor. What does it mean for podcasting? Well, that’s what this episode is about.

What are you Currently Listening to?

So cheating again because I’m a sports guy. Scout’s Honor is from Paul Crane (TV broadcaster) and Dave Te-Thomas who is head of scouting and has the ears of almost every NFL team. Good show to listen to now that the NFL offseason is here. Loads of inside info:https://www.spreaker.com/show/scouts-honor

*Explicit Language Warning* Cam has a colorful manner of speaking and I don't edit it down for this episode. Watch the little ears!*

Cameron Reilly, cohost of The Bullshit Filter, Life of Caesar and more, joins Joel to talk about his life in podcasting, and independent media which started in 2004. With claims to "fame" as the first Australian podcaster and the first person to use a recorded Skype call for a podcast in the world.

Cam is a straight shooter who spends most of his days shooting straight at Ray Harris, his cohost for Life of Caesar, BS Filter and other podcasts and projects across the interwebs.

If you like learning about the beginning of things, hearing about the future of podcasting or learning some of the inside workings of a popular podcasting empire from Down Under, this episode is perfect for you.

Keep up with Cam's latest efforts at

http://DeepDiveDocumentaries.com or

http://CameronReilly.com

And subscribe to any of his podcasts by visiting: http://thepodcastnetwork.com

Joel’s podcasting hero, Jay Pod Vader Soderberg, joins the podcast to talk about his career in media, radio, podcating and life in and out of companies like ESPN, Blog Talk Radio, Spreaker and more.

'Podcasts don't have a "middle" ... radio is nothing but "middle."'

Pod Vader was the backbone of ESPN’s launch into podcasting producing dozens of shows at once and featuring in many of them on-air as well as behind the scenes. At the top of his field and working for the biggest player in the space, he leapt out to help independent producers with Blog Talk Radio (now Voxnest) helping small shows, big shows and everything in between make money right away using dynamic advertising.

Starting the next phase of his career, we look over all of his jobs and experiences while speculating about what’s next in the podcast space. To hear from Jay regularly, find The Next FanUp podcast or follow him on Twitter at @TheRealPodVader

Join us for a great conversation about radio, podcasting, the audio industry and more.

Joel Sharpton, Chief Editing Officer for Pro Podcasting Services details his trip to and from Podcast Movement 2018 with the “point” coming in at around 15:00, so feel free to jump to the mushy part. We’re all more alike than we are different and travel has shown that to this country boy. Thankful and mis-quoting Mark Twain, Joel “rambles on” to the point about Podcast Movement, airport hours and antiseptic eventually. Stick with this kid, he’s going places.